Craig, The Tool Librarian

So, we’re in the midst of a huge outdoor patio project I’ll probably be writing a lot about. Today I just wanted to go over tools.

There are lot of things involved with this patio project that require some specialized tools.  Post hole diggers, leaf blowers, tampers, etc.  And these are things that, after this project, I will probably never use again.  Our lot is only 25’x100’, and most of that is taken up by building. There’s simply no other space on our property where I could even use a tamper, or anywhere else to dig a hole.

So since I’d need a bunch of one-time use tools, I didn’t want to buy them new. (I don’t like buying many things new, but that’s another story). I decided to buy them on Craigslist and essentially use Craigslist like a tool library.  Apparently tool libraries used to be a thing. Like a regular library, they’d let you take out a tool, use it and return it for the next person.  It makes a whole lot of sense for these things to be community-owned instead of individually-owned, because the average person won’t need a power miter saw or hammer drill more than a few times ever. Yes, sure you could rent a thing, but that costs money, and waaah.

Our library lets you take out fishing rods. That’s pretty cool, but imagine the other possibilities! Imagine if you could walk into a library and take out a badminton set, snowshoes, a chainsaw, a barbeque. Like, all kinds of stuff. What a cool world.

So throughout the project, I’ll be buying a tool off Craigslist, using it, then hopefully re-selling it for the same price.  I think of it as borrowing it, but passing it on to whoever needs it next.   Post hole digger for the fence posts?  Tamper for gravel and sand stomping?  Landscape rake for pulling gravel?  Leaf blower for blowing polymeric sand off the stones? Buy it all used and re-sell it for the same price.

Post hole digger (bought for $15) 8 pound Sledgehammer (bought for $5, this might be a keeper) Tamper (bought for $5)

Landscaping rake (bought for $15)

I’ll re-visit this when all the work is done, and the tools are sold, and we can see how we’ve done, yes?

Have you ever been the victim of a scam on Craigslist?  Have you ever scammed someone else on Craigslist? Call the Perp Patrol at 1-800-555-PERP and let us know.

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