Free tools?!?!

There is no other word in the English language that will command the attention of a human being like the word "free." And when the free offering is tools, well we tool junkies are instantly and hopelessly hooked.

Yesterday, the guy across the street was moving and throughout the day, he kept bringing things out to the curb where there was a crudely hand lettered sign that had only one word: free. By the middle of the day, the temptation finally overcame me and I wandered over to look at the usual "free offerings" of the moving ... old stained sofa, most of a vinyl clad particle board bookcase, a table with three legs, a lamp with no plug (or bulb), a couple of bent golf clubs, a ski (only one) ... you know what I'm talking about.

But there at the edge of the curb was a cloudy plastic tub containing what was, unmistakably, "some kind" of tools. Further inspection revealed a set of rotary rasps. Each one had a stem on one end for chucking in a drill and a knob on the other end with a ball bearing center. There were five complete rasps of various sizes and shapes plus several interchangeable burrs and a separate mandrel for them. These were rounds and hollows, obviously intended for shaping edges. Needless to say, I took them.

The knobs are imprinted with "Zensees System" and "Made in Germany". I remember seeing some stuff like this years ago but evidently it's not made any more. An Internet search for "Zensees" returns a lot of links but mostly to Buddhist web sites ... nothing about tools. I have always tried to avoid buying tools I don't need. But in this case the price was just too good to resist. Someday, I might even use them.

D.D.