I just put myself in the dog house. My sister-in-law calls me up this morning and says that her fiancee [b]is[/b] going to borrow my chain saw.

I told her I was very leary about loaning my tools out and that I don't even let my brother borrow my tools (mainly because I know it'll two months before I get 'em back).

So I told her I'd be glad to go cut up whatever they needed cut.

She got POed and the next thing I know I'm getting a call from the War Dept. from work bitching me out because I won't let future bro-in-law borry the chain saw.

Explained to her what my concerns were and that I watched him use my chain saw the other weekend and he didn't have a clue as to what he was doing.

I didn't mention the fact that they still owe us $300 from the excavator I rented on my business account to demolish and bury the burnt out house on the lot they're getting ready to build on!

My other past experiences of lending tools out is that it becomes a habit. Had a neighbor that I finally had to tell to go buy his on damn lawnmower after he came home with a new boat!

[chainsaw][chainsawkill][chainsaw]

They just went and bought a new one![:D]

Now if I can just get thay $300 they still owe me!

I loaned my uncle a .22 Hornet rifle 2 months ago and have not seen it since. A firearm is a tool, right?


[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1724658&a=13260779&p=51076798&Sequence=0&res=high[/img]
Lock&Load

About 3 years ago my now ex-partner(MF)wanted to borrow a complete set of mechanics tools from me to start his own repair shop. These were my second set that I kept at home for my hobby of performance tuning. The deal was that he would borrow them for two to three months untill he got his order of tools filled from Snap-On, complete with box. After four months went by the Snap-On dealer confirmed to me that his tools were all in. I went to get my tools. I had two friends in the truck to help me load the tools. I walked in and found some lame ass mechanic that I didn't even know, using my tools. Apparently he had none of his own. Not only was he using them, but they were filthy, completely disorganized, and spread all over the place. Many of the sets were missing tools. My ex-partner already had his new tools sitting nice and clean in a corner, but he was using mine. I had a huge argument with the jerk that was using my tools after I walked over to my tool box and started checking out all the drawers for missing tools. I explained that they were mine, and I will now be taking them back as soon as the 'boss' walks in. Then he said that they belonged to the shop owner. He told me that I was not allowed in the shop past the yellow line and to please stop touching the tools and wait for the boss. The boss walks in with a customer just when I blew a gasket. I went off on the condition of my tool set, the third party using them, and the fact that HE never called me after he got his tools. This bastard had the nerve to tell me to come back another day because they were very busy and they were still using my tools. I flipped and told him that if he did not get out of my way and let me get my tools, I would drop him right on the spot. He called 911 on the cell phone, said there was a man with a gun in his shop, and ran into the office and pulled a shotgun out . I think he thought I was armed? I wasn't. The cops got there right away, and I knew almost all of them from working on thier cars. He is lucky that he didn't get shot by the police. They diffused the situation, searched me and my two freinds and found no weapons but my Kershaw. They ordered him to gather my tools and put them all in the box, then wheel them out to me while I waited outside with them. It turned out that many of the important sets were missing key tools and everything was abused and neglected. The value of the missing items cost me almost $1,500 to replace. Instead of suing him, and risking my freedom in case I beat the piss out of him, I kept an original set of very rare Pontiac GTO RA-IV 'O' port heads and intake that I prepared for his '69 Goat. They more than paid for my tools. All I can say is NEVER AGAIN!

MY wife cant stand when I do lend things out. I dont do it to often, but occasionally I do. I had a guy I used to work with that had borrowed my lawn mower just before I moved. He bought it from me and week later, so it worked out. I have a second set of tools that I will loan out if I have to. they are cheap tools, Kmart and Walmart, Discount dollar store cheapy tools. Had one friend break a few of those cheapy screw drivers, not realizing how cheap they where, he replaced them with Craftsman tools!! I do not leand out my craftsman or snap-on tools. I lent out a SKS scope mount to a buddy for hunting season. almost did not get it back, when I did, it had rust on the receiver. Will never lend out guns or gun stuff!!

[size=6][red]no[/red][/size=6]

Not anymore. I've lots hundreds of $$$ on tools I loaned out and never got back... which reminds me, someone borrowed a Snap-On offset screwdriver set from me months ago and never gave it back. I asked him several times and he always forgets to bring it back.

One guy I used to work with had a nasty habit of helping himself to tools out of my toolbox without asking me. I would have tools missing and then show up mysteriously, sometimes days later. I didn't know he was borrowing from me until I caught him rummaging through my toolbox one day. I chewed his ass out and told him to stay the hell out of my tools. Now I lock up my box when I'm not with it, and this guy had the nerve to get pissed at me about locking him out of my toolbox! The noive!

As a general rule, no.
If the tool is going to be used in my presence, as there might be several of us working on the same project at the same time, maybe, as long as whomever gets it first understands completely that HE is the responsible party for it.  
There is nothing that infuriates me more than the mooches who never seem to have anything useful of their own, but always seem to have cartons of cancer sticks, cases of beer, the newest CDs and DVDs, and eat out twice a day, everyday  If they need a ratchet, I give them directions to the nearest Sears store.
Sluggo

WOW!

I think this is the only thread I've ever seen that everybody agreed!

Update:

They had someone come in and cut down two huge oak trees, one of which was in between the sidewalk and the street (public right away, not on their property).

I went over to help cut some wood, seeing how I'd get to keep it for firewood, and they were nowhere around. The neighbor comes over and wanted to know if I was the one that cut the tree down.

"Nope, just here to cut it up for 'em."

"Well that tree wasn't on their property and if the county finds out they're going to be in trouble!"

I told them not to cut that one tree down until they checked with the county first. Did they listen? Hell no. The guy that cut it down said it was okay and they didn't need county permission. Hope they don't get fined, people wil tell you anything when money is involved.

Oh yeah, they gave me my $300 plus another $300 for the work I did for them. Guess they got to feeling guilty. Maybe future bro-in-law isn't so bad after all.

I have to say I am guilty of borrowing my dad's tools, e.g., log splitter, tiller, pressure washer and 16 ft. trailer.

But I always ask first and always, ALWAYS, return the stuff cleaner than when I got it, full of gas, and as soon as I'm finished with them. I have even paid for having them serviced when they just simply need to be serviced.

Come to think of it, the only reason I have a chainsaw is the fact I had borrowed my dad's a few years ago and the thing froze up on me. Couldn't get it working so I went and bought a new one. Took both of them back to my dad and told him what happened. Next day he calls me and tells me to come back and get the new I bought because he got the other one working again.

Tried to get him to keep the new one and let me have the old one, but he wouldn't hear of it.

The point is, I treat my dad's tools as though they were my own, because someday they will be!

My brother on the other hand has to beg to borry my dad's tools. As mentioned in my first post, they don't seem to make it back to my dad's shed for a few months, dirty, out of gas and sometimes broke.