c/community-tool-library

Our library's pressure washer nozzle broke mid-cleanup, and the fix was in a coffee can.

We were cleaning the patio at the community center last Saturday, and the wand just snapped at the quick-connect (it was a Karcher model). I found an old brass nozzle in a coffee can of random parts in the shed, and it actually threaded right on. Anyone else have a good system for organizing spare parts like that, or do you just wing it?

Thinking about how our library's old floor sander finally gave out last month after smoothing probably 200 floors.

We had to pool donations for a new one, which got me wondering if anyone else has a tool in their library that's just seen too much love and how you handled replacing it.

The tool library in my building went from a mess to a system in about 2 weeks

It used to be a jumbled pile of random tools in the basement storage room, and you could never find anything. Then our building manager, Sarah, put up a pegboard and a simple check-out sheet. Now you can actually see the three cordless drills and the tile saw. How do other places handle late fees for tools? Ours is just a dollar a day, but I'm not sure that's enough.

Vent: Our library had a vote on buying a fancy pressure washer or three regular drills

The choice was a $700 pressure washer that could clean a driveway in ten minutes or three basic cordless drills for the whole crew. We picked the pressure washer, thinking it would be a huge draw. Now, every single person wants it for the same spring weekend, and our sign-up sheet looks like a war zone. Has anyone else had a tool become too popular for its own good?

Tried two ways to track our tools and one saved us hours

We started with a paper sign-out sheet but it was a mess with lost tools and arguments. Switched to a free app called ToolHound and now we can see who has what in real time. Anyone else find a better way to handle checkouts?

Talking to my dad about his old lawnmower made me see tool libraries in a new light

He was telling me how he bought a big riding mower back in 1995 and has used it maybe 30 times total. He said, "It just sits there, taking up half the shed, and I feel bad every time I look at it." That hit different because I just borrowed a power washer from our local tool library for a one day job. It made me realize how much money and space we waste on stuff we barely use. Our library in Tacoma has a list showing the average power tool gets checked out only 4 times a year but serves over 50 people. It got me wondering, for those who started a library, how did you convince people to give up owning rarely-used tools?

Update on our library's rule about power washer deposits

We used to just ask for a driver's license as a deposit, but after a guy in Springfield brought back a pressure washer clogged with concrete dust last fall, we now require a $75 cash deposit that you only get back after we inspect the tool, which honestly weeds out the careless people pretty fast, so has anyone else had to get strict like that?

Just realized I've been using the library's post hole digger as a giant apple corer for my backyard trees.

The moment I saw my neighbor's perfectly round holes next to my weird, spiraled trenches, I knew something was off.

Question about a tool library's policy on power washer rentals

I was at the Northside Community Tool Library last week and saw a guy return a gas power washer that was completely filthy, with mud caked in the pump. The volunteer on duty just checked it off and put it back on the shelf. This got me thinking about two sides. One view is that members should be responsible for basic cleaning, or face a small fee, to keep tools ready for the next person. The other view is that the library should handle all cleaning and maintenance to avoid arguments and keep the process simple. Our library has over 300 tools, and a policy like this could really change how things run. What do you think is the better system for a volunteer-run library?

Can we talk about a simple trick for tracking our library's drill bits?

We kept losing the 1/4 inch hex shank bits, so I started putting a strip of colored electrical tape on each set that matches the tool case. Anyone have a better system for small parts?

Our library's pressure washer finally paid for itself after 3 years of rentals

Figuring out the right drill bit for our library's old concrete wall took me a solid 45 minutes of digging through manuals.

I was trying to hang a new sign for our tool library and the masonry bit I grabbed just wouldn't bite, so I had to sort through three different donated drill sets from the 90s to find the correct carbide-tipped one.

Just realized the most borrowed thing at our library in Springfield isn't a drill, it's a post hole digger.

Hot take: Our library's 'no late fee' policy is killing our best tools.

Last week in Seattle, our only Dremel rotary kit was returned a month late and totally gummed up with dried glue. Has anyone else had to switch to a deposit system to stop this?

We started a 'tool of the month' club at our library and it totally backfired

Our tool library in Portland got a grant last year, so we bought a really nice Dremel 4300 kit to be our featured tool for November. The idea was to get people excited and maybe do some craft workshops. We put up signs and everything. Instead, we had a line out the door on the first day, and the Dremel was booked solid for three months straight. Nobody could get it, and people got mad because they felt like we were playing favorites. I learned that adding one fancy tool without a plan to get more just makes wait times worse and ticks people off. Has anyone else tried a spotlight system and found a way to make it fair for everyone?

Vent: Bought a $90 pressure washer for a deck job and it broke after 20 minutes.

I needed to clean my deck last month and figured I'd just buy a cheap electric pressure washer instead of checking if the tool library had one. It was a Greenworks model from the big box store. The thing started sputtering and died before I even finished the first section. Now I'm out the cash and still have a dirty deck. Has anyone had good luck with the pressure washers at their local tool share? I need something that can actually handle a full afternoon's work.

Question about storing donated power tools

We accepted a bunch of old drills and saws for our library, but didn't check them thoroughly. One cordless drill had a bad battery that swelled up and ruined the charger, costing us about $80 to replace. How do you all safely test donated gear before adding it to your inventory?

My neighbor told me to skip the liability waiver for our tool library's opening day. That was a huge mistake.

When we started the Northside tool share last spring, my neighbor Mark, who helped set it up, said, 'Don't bother with the legal stuff right away, it'll scare people off. Just get the tools out there.' So for our first big event, we didn't have people sign anything. A guy borrowed a cordless circular saw, cut through the extension cord, and got a minor shock. He was fine, but he got mad and threatened to sue the library for his 'trauma.' We had zero protection. It took weeks of talking him down and we ended up giving him a brand new saw to make it go away. Cost us $200 we didn't have. Now we use a simple waiver from a template we found online for every single loan. Has anyone else had to learn the hard way about insurance or liability forms? What do you use?

Our tool library in Bellingham had to choose between a membership fee or a deposit system

We voted on it at our last meeting, and we went with a $20 yearly fee instead of making people put down a $50 deposit per tool. It's been three months, and honestly, it's way easier to manage (I'm the one who updates the spreadsheet). But now we're struggling to get new people to join. Has anyone else's library found a good way to get the word out without spending a lot of money?

Checked out a post hole digger from our library last weekend and it turned into a full-on archaeological dig in my backyard.

Rant: I thought a community drill press was a terrible idea until I saw the sign-up sheet at the new library in Boise.

I was convinced people would break it or keep it forever, but after checking the log, I saw the same Makita model had been borrowed 14 times in 3 weeks with zero issues, so what other expensive tools are we all just buying for one project?

Rant: The library's pressure washer died on me mid-project

I borrowed the community tool library's pressure washer to clean my deck last weekend. It started fine, but about twenty minutes in, it just quit. No sputter, no weird noise, just dead. I checked the gas, the oil, the spark plug connection, everything I could think of. It was a real bummer because I had to stop halfway through and now my deck looks like a weird zebra stripe. I called the volunteer coordinator, and she said, 'Yeah, that unit's been acting up.' That kind of annoyed me, because if they knew it was having issues, maybe it shouldn't have been on the shelf. I ended up having to rent one from the hardware store to finish the job, which cost me an extra $45. How do other libraries handle checking tools before they go back out? Do you guys have a quick test routine?

Can we talk about our library's $5 flat fee versus the old hourly rental model?

We switched in Boulder after a grant and member checkouts DOUBLED because people actually take the pressure washer for a full day now. Anyone else see a big jump after ditching hourly charges?

The day our library's tile saw came back with a cracked water reservoir

Last Thursday, a member returned our DeWalt tile saw, and the plastic water tray had a huge crack running along the side. It was our only one, and three people had it booked for weekend projects. I spent the next two hours calling every rental place in a 20-mile radius to find a backup, which cost the library $75 for a one-day rental. It made me realize we need a clearer policy, or maybe a deposit, for tools that are easy to damage. How does your group handle broken tool returns without scaring people off?

Rant: My neighbor in Cincinnati just bought a $400 pressure washer for a one-time patio job

Last week, I saw him struggling to store it in his tiny garage, and it hit me that our whole block could have just chipped in $20 each to start a tool library for stuff like this.