March 11th is National Worship of Tools Day. This is a day to go out into the garage, the tool shed, the storage closet or wherever it is you keep your tools. You can clean them, reorganize them, make something new with them or maybe go to the store and buy a new one.
- It is hard to imagine the world without tools as they are a part of our daily lives. From the hammer, the screwdriver and the wrench to the most sophisticated tools, they are necessary. Upon their use, they sometimes get rusty and need to be shined, they get dirty and need to be cleaned, they get dull and need to be sharpened.
- Tool enthusiasts know a good tool when they see one. Often, they have a favorite brand or style. And they never seem to have enough, either. Collecting them is nearly as important as using them.
- Another common discussion about tools is the borrowing of tools. From one neighbor to another, tools have been loaned, borrowed and returned numerous times. The funny papers and the sitcoms humorously remind us of this from time to time. And sometimes, so do our neighbors.
- A version of the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors” was originally called “Knife, Fork, Spoon”
- The plural of scissors is still scissors.
- Cast metal scissors, similar to those we use today, were first produced in 1761
- If the pivot of the scissors is closer to the blade end and further from the handles, the cutting power of the scissors is greater
- Most scissors are actually made to work best for people who are right-handed. Special reversed scissors for left-handed users are available.
- When both tips of scissors stick, a wedding will follow. If only one point sticks, a funeral is to come.
- Never attempt to retrieve scissors you have dropped yourself unless you stomp on them first.
- Put scissors away during a thunderstorm
- Putting scissors under the pillow of a laboring woman will cut her child-birthing pain in half
- A pair of scissors could be nailed open above a door to protect the home from witchcraft
- Tools discovered in Kenya in 1969 are estimated to be some 2.6 million years old
- Tool specialization for agriculture may have begun as long as 10,000 years ago
- Humans developed tools, like chisels and saws, approximately 4,000 years ago
- No one knows exactly when the tool chest was invented, but tool chests have been prevalent in America from the earliest days of our founding.
- Union Tool Chest Company – made tool chests for machinists
- Sears Craftsman – offered tool chests for machinists and more casual users
- Stanley – produced tool chests with a design similar to steamer trunks
- McCormick, John Deere – made tool chests for farmers to mount on their tractors
- Snap-On – a brand of toolboxes made for auto mechanics
- A worker in a manufacturer of sewing machines replaced the needle with a long, thin saw. That was the beginning of the jigsaw.
- The first electric hand drill was invented in 1895 in Germany. Black & Decker added a pistol grip which made it possible for one person to drill without the help of another person.
- At what speed does a nail travel as it leaves a nail gun? 1400 feet per second, therefore safety is extremely important when using a nail gun.
- The first milling machine was invented in the US in 1818, by the manufacturer Simeon North, whose role was also significant in the development of interchangeable parts.
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