What has happened to the Homemade in HomemadeTools?

[Toolmaker51]

I for one, might say content is in the eye of the beholder...except when it isn't. Broad interests aren't 'compelled' to revel in every single post; size or complexity of the post aren't measures of it's 'grade', the project is. Not sure if interest falls toward certain members; usually the project comes first; with something I value or am deficient in. Either way, there is benefit.
Guess even something like the mine-planter had something to file away for later; in the mechanics, not the purpose.

[PJs]

I cannot speak for others, but I for one am about tools or machines period. Homemade, re-purposed,new old large or small. limited production specialty or mass produced from the highest quality down to the throw away stuff.it doesn't matter to me.
I started making my own tools well over 50 years ago. Daily I look forward to having a look see in every sub forum on this site.
I find there are several here who come up with some really great ideas and some who come up with some extremely dangerous ones as well. I know too, that there are several on these forums who I consider real intellectuals, plus te
here are some extremely highly skilled individuals who very probably view the various Gifs of not so homemade toos or machines as possible intriguing ideas for future builds either in whole or parts of them.
I thank the admin of this site for all of their hard work I know it cannot be an easy task to find content to keep this site in a positive growth format.
All too many well run sites over the years have withered away due to a lack of growth.

Well Said Frank and your words do speak for me too. It is the breadth and depth of diverse tools, machines, tips, builds, new and old ideas brought forward, and to other uses that pique my interests and needs (missing link or puzzle solve) for something in the back of my noggin. I've always enjoyed the cutting edge stuff too whether electronics, hydraulics, CNC or 3D printing which just adds to that broad base here on HMT. I've also been expanding my horizons (novice hobby) into wood working and people like Morsa, Christophe and Brendon have given tons of info, tools and tips into that craft.

My earliest HMT tool was way back also. It was a valve spring compressor to do valve job on a 56 Olds with my dad around 60'-61'. We had burned a valve pulling a 35' trailer across country once again. Much better than the commercial ones and took a half day to build but worked like no other and have continued in that modus since. It's about doing the project what ever it is and generally doing it with materials on hand to me. That spirit here is what I cherish!

As for the Gifs, I personally have been enjoying that breadth too and Thanks to Jon & Crew have brought even more diversity to HMT. As for e-blasting them, it's now part of my daily look through so I don't need an e-blast but if it gets more SEO and more quality participants I'm good with that!

I also salute Jon and Crew for the continual improvements and willingness to support, improve, and grow HMT!

~PJ

[cpttuna]

Just my $.02 Let's say someone is making containers to hold nuts, washers and bolts. The first guy has a lathe and machines all his holders the same size and makes a fancy way to put them on a wall in his garage. The second guy goes to the recycling center and gets 2 dozen empty 2 liter bottles. He then goes to the grocery store and asks and gets 2 plastic 2 liter bottle storage containers. At home, he cuts the bottles to the size he needs depending how many of each size bolts, nuts, and washers he has. He marks the bottles with a sharpie and fills the plastic holder containers. The second guy is more like me and I give the info on #2 guy my attention.

[Toolmaker51]

Just my $.02 Let's say someone is making containers to hold nuts, washers and bolts. The first guy has a lathe and machines all his holders the same size and makes a fancy way to put them on a wall in his garage. The second guy goes to the recycling center and gets 2 dozen empty 2 liter bottles. He then goes to the grocery store and asks and gets 2 plastic 2 liter bottle storage containers. At home, he cuts the bottles to the size he needs depending how many of each size bolts, nuts, and washers he has. He marks the bottles with a sharpie and fills the plastic holder containers. The second guy is more like me and I give the info on #2 guy my attention.

What exactly is 'homemade'? My stance, where was it conceived? If I drill brackets at work for my garage, but I measured & designed them here, bent them here, used them here, only wasn't energetic enough to hand drill 1/2" holes for lag bolts, it's still home made.
So the lathe-guy makes containers for storing hardware must really like generating chips, & a lot of spare time, but inventiveness is not generating better solutions.
Guy cutting containers wants to solve and finish his project in an afternoon, getting on to what's next.
I vote for the re-utilizer too. If boiled down, it's all a question of resources. What I see here on HMT.net adds one detail. Many here, backgrounds stem in 'for profit' work, and at home it carries over to those projects. Others may not be machinists, welders, or engineers during the day and very possibly have a little more peripheral vision to what they want to do and how to accomplish it. Experience counts as a resource too; but not automatically 'best of all' when it comes to what needs done.
Below is a sidenote, and a viewpoint of experience. I do like identifying the differences in how products occur, and soap-boxing concept what we practice is far more than just a hobby.
To me, creating solutions stems from same idea that "Necessity is the mother of invention". If the Industrial Revolution stimulated machine-made products, it had to cause a shift in hand-work to the same range of items. For example, the sewing machine. Industrially, they opened production of ready-made clothing, acceptance of that stimulated demand. Mid 1860's, women of means bought ready-made as it had become fashionable; regardless superior quality (and individuality) was available hand-made. They were 'celebrating' industry in a tangible way. Civil War reenactors can wear 'period correct' clothing made either way. To be correct, materials are limited to cotton, wool, silk, linen, and derivative materials like velvet and starched backing. Ask one about her 'costume'; brace for correction 'period correct' means just that. It's a costume if there are zippers, Velcro, Rayon, etc.

[mklotz]

Just my $.02 Let's say someone is making containers to hold nuts, washers and bolts. The first guy has a lathe and machines all his holders the same size and makes a fancy way to put them on a wall in his garage. The second guy goes to the recycling center and gets 2 dozen empty 2 liter bottles. He then goes to the grocery store and asks and gets 2 plastic 2 liter bottle storage containers. At home, he cuts the bottles to the size he needs depending how many of each size bolts, nuts, and washers he has. He marks the bottles with a sharpie and fills the plastic holder containers. The second guy is more like me and I give the info on #2 guy my attention.

Don't make the mistake of evaluating the work shown here by how closely it approaches the way you would solve the problem.

Rather, extract from it the information, ideas and techniques you can apply profitably to whatever you do.

[Frank S]

What's happened to homemade tools? Just about everything and anything imagined. Would be the closest answer I can come up with. Many of the contributors here have created some extremely complex high precision elaborately detailed items they needed or simply wanted to make. Those very same persons have contributed tools in the foray which are so simple and mundane some may wonder why even bother, but the fact is even the most mundanely simple items posted here often ignite a spark of creativity in the minds of others making them ask themselves WHY on Earth didn't I think of that. Then there are many things we may use every day which already exist which can not be classified as a homemade tool but becomes a valuable tool none the less to accomplish a task at hand.
Just the other day while building our chicken pen I needed to hold a very long sheet of metal on the side of a wall before I could think of what I wanted to use my wife laid 3 long boards across the sheet that was already installed then pushed the end of them in the ground enough that they would remain there I already had the sheet next to the wall the boards were above it all I had to do was lift the sheet up and allow the boards to catch in the corrugations as I raised it. The boards served as self ratcheting wedges holding the board in place while I secured it to the wall.
Was that a homemade tool? No but the purpose and use was invaluable.