How many tools is enough?

[Smoke]

I lost a pair of concave cutters over the weekend at a club workshop. My tools have yellow tape on them, something that I have done for over 25 years. Trouble is two other club members have yellow tape including the club Sensei.'

So... I bought a new pair tuesday after work at the local bonsai nursery and went home and decided that since it was raining this might be a good time to clean and re-oil all my tools as well as sharpen a few and apply a new tape scheme.

I went with yellow and a blue pinstripe.


As I clean them and oil them it becomes apparent that I have a huge pile of tools, many that I seldom use or probably really need.

Anyone else suffer from too many tools in the bag making it heavy?

 

[grouper52]

I have a few old ones I never use anymore, but the ones I actually carry around are pretty few:

Heavy-duty Japanese garden shears.
Japanese concave cutter.
Chinese jin/wiring pliers.
Home Depot wire cutter.
Home Depot pruning saw.
Set of left- and right-handed Dan Robinson carving knives.
DeWalt die grinder.
Wood-handled root hook.
Tweezers.
Hemp brush.
Brass brush.
Fine paint brush for lime sulfur.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

the number one most common tool in our tool bag... is Pliers... lots and lots of pliers.... other than that I use Joshua Roth garden sheers (the red handled ones) and a diegrinder / dremel .... DR carving knives and that's about the extent of it...

I have a concave cutter that I use as root pruners...

 

[Smoke]

Great...now I feel like a tool whore.

 

[PaulH]

If it makes you feel better I think I have even more. A whole bag full of Masakuni tolls I've had about 25 years. I couldn't afford to buy them now.
A lot of them are seldom used, like the trunk splitter or the giant concave cutter, but I somehow can't part with them.
My name is Paul, and I'm a tool hoarder. (There, admitting I've got a problem is the first step.)

 

[grouper52]

I have a concave cutter that I use as root pruners...

LOL! They are good for that, and good for many other things except what they're intended for.

I use them a fair amount for rough carving in a lot of situations where the die grinder - or just assaulting the darn wood directly with pliers - doesn't easily give the desired look. Reach in, bite a chuck of heartwood partially with the tips, and use the thicker end of the head as a fulcrum to rip the wood at the tip outwards. Once it's loosened, the pliers can then muscle it out - down or up the grain - in a most convincing manner. Great fun.

I also like to keep them around because they're the only really well-made, beautiful and durable Japanese tools I've got, and I think everybody ought to have something of that variety around just for the sake of tradition.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

I also like to keep them around because they're the only really well-made, beautiful and durable Japanese tools I've got, and I think everybody ought to have something of that variety around just for the sake of tradition.

lol true everyone should have at least one... just cuz .... Vic has her fancy pants pruners of all different kinds .... mostly I don't see the fuss ... but it makes her happy so I don't complain ....

I actually use the concave cutters for what they are intended for sometimes ..... but I will deny it from here on out ....

 

[Vance Wood]

Until your creditors start pounding on your door and your family organizes an intervention. That's when you might want to think you have enough tools.

 

[berobinson82]

Interesting timing. On Monday at our meeting, an experienced gentleman told me that he started with a very low quality set of tools and bought new tools, one per year, as he matured in the craft. He says he uses only 4 tools now that are all very pricey. Then the workshop started and I never got to find out what they were. I'll see him again, but what tools are worth spending the big bucks on? Concave seems to be a no brainer. Shears maybe. Knob end cutters and wire cutters perhaps?

 

[Ron Dennis]

Until your creditors start pounding on your door and your family organizes an intervention. That's when you might want to think you have enough tools.

It is getting harder and harder to "sneak in" another tool or tree for that matter. But I promise this is my only vice!

 

[Ang3lfir3]

Interesting timing. On Monday at our meeting, an experienced gentleman told me that he started with a very low quality set of tools and bought new tools, one per year, as he matured in the craft. He says he uses only 4 tools now that are all very pricey. Then the workshop started and I never got to find out what they were. I'll see him again, but what tools are worth spending the big bucks on? Concave seems to be a no brainer. Shears maybe. Knob end cutters and wire cutters perhaps?

don't be mistaken ... I use the cheap pruners because with just as much work they hold an edge just as good as the other tools... and if I drop them its $20 to replace (and they go in the landscape tools pile) instead of $150+

the other tools aren't expensive either... tho Dan's carving knives aren't available any longer (maybe again soon) and the Makita GEO600 has been discontinued (why I own several) ... the only thing I haven't found yet..... the perfect tiny gouge

 

[Smoke]

the only thing I haven't found yet..... the perfect tiny gouge

I find the "scorp" by flexcut to be perfect for small gouging. They are not used with a head on push but rather a sideways draw knife stroke. They come in
left hand and right hand. You need both cause sometimes as you stand on a tree you need to pull upward or when sitting it is drawn towrds you. In either case you need to be able to switch tools. It is precision ground as all flex cut tools are and has an ergonomic handle which fits the palm perfectly. Jim Doyal has dome himself proud on these tools. The gouge is about 1/8 across and makes a perfect groove for inarch grafting. I use it for that a lot. I have owned mine for over five years and have yet to sharpen them. They just go and go. A testiment to the iron in the blade.

 

[Specialkayme]

That's when you might want to think you have enough tools.

Or when you have so many tools, your creditors put a lien against them . . .

 

[rockm]

I have about 35 lbs worth of tools, at least that's how much the tool bag weighs... haven't counted them in some time.

 

[Poink88]

As I clean them and oil them it becomes apparent that I have a huge pile of tools, many that I seldom use or probably really need.

Anyone else suffer from too many tools in the bag making it heavy?

Great...now I feel like a tool whore.

I think I have much much more than that (tools for bonsai) but I do not put them in my bag...I have a rolling mechanic's tool chest for some of them.

I am Dario and I am a tool (hoarder err...) collector...

 

[Anthony]

Dario,

a small Masakuni concave pruner, and a gifted Masakuni defoliator, also gifted small root pruner. Wonder why the trees are normally 15" and under -chuckle

Also a heavy duty secateurs, from Italy,for viticulture. 3 Chinese cut on the back pull saws.

Lots of small stainless steel scissors, lots - chuckle.

All I borrow from K - ha ha, he handles the expense. All obtained in 1980 to 1983, save for the scissors. At low, low cost. No one wanted to do Bonsai in them there days.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have about the same number of tools as you do Al. About half of them are "situational" tools that are invaluable for a specific purpose, but I never use otherwise. I would generally categorize my tools into the groups of:
(1) bonsai tools (general)
(2) repotting tools (rakes, older tools for cutting roots, saws, chop sticks, etc)
(3) jinning tools (knives, pull knives, grinder heads, etc)
(4) grafting tools (primarily knives and sharpening wet stones)
I generally keep these tools separate from each other just because I would never find them when I needed them. Plus my repotting tools tend to get really wet and dirty and don't store well next to my other tools.

 

[Vance Wood]

The most reasonable answer to the question: How many tools is enough? In my opinion-----when the quantity of tools in a bag or box exceeds your ability to carry by yourself or talk someone else into carrying them for you (something I am becoming more aware of and dependent on) then you may have too many tools.

 

[bonsaibp]

There is no such thing as too many.

 

[Poink88]

There is no such thing as too many.

Spoken like a true MAN! LOL