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by danans 1434 days ago
> So basically: instead of just having what you need, just, like, hope that your neighbour has what you need. Great plan, i also hope that the neighbours are going to always follow me (just in case i'm going to move elsewhere).

A lot of new neighbors are nice folks. Invite them over for a bbq, and they probably will let you borrow their belt sander or angle grinder. It's a nice way to build community.

I do a fair bit of DIY work, and am a big user of my local public library's tool lending center, where I can borrow everything from a giant table clamp to a wet table saw. It's amazing. Public tool lending libraries have a history going back to the 1940s, and the first was thought to have started in Grosse Pointe, MI [1]

For more expensive stuff (i.e generators, bobcats), there are local tool rental shops.

I still own everyday tools (drills, circular saws, hand tools), but I don't need to maintain/store anything too large.

Or have all your own tools - that has big advantages too, especially if you are constantly using them as part of a hobby or job.

1. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=14...

1 comments

Right I don't see anything about this model that precludes private ownership of tools. It just makes it much less necessary.