Do we need a Tools forum?

[KenS]

We've recently had a few threads about tools, which got me thinking: why don't we have a forum about tools?  We have ones for train repair and scenery, both of which use tools, so some tool articles seem best placed there. But there's no place to ask a general tool question, or discuss tool use (in fact, we have a thread on how to use airbruses on the Personal Projects forum, perhaps because they didn't fit into any of the others). I think it would be useful to have one (and I expect we'd see more discussion of them if we did, although perhaps that's a bit far from our core purpose).

On the other hand, in two years of posts I could only find nine threads about tools separate from any discussion on how to use them to achieve a specific result, and two of those were this month, so perhaps this is a bit too far off topic (oddly, there were no tools posts in Off Topic).

So, how do you feel?

Here are the relevant posts I found (we seem to talk about airbrushes a lot  ):


N gauge:

Airbrushes?
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,1274.0.html

Greatest tool ever made—or—‘Spudge’ is not a dirty word.
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,117.0.html

The Train Doctor:

Dremel Drill 1100-N Opinions wanted
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,2920.0.html

Opinion of Essential Tools Required
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,2850.0.html

Scenery:

Drill Press for Modeling
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,3868.0.html

CNC router
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,3839.0.html

good basic airbrush?
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,1774.0.html

Airbrushes
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,433.0.html

Personal Projects:

Air Brushing - Starting points
http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,2471.0.html

[Lawrence]

Good shout Ken, you can never have too much info at your fingertips

[cteno4]

Yes Yes Yes! Ken you read my mind!

I think this is a very important part of modeling and probably one of the best things we can be sharing with one another in the forum context. right now most discussion of tools come up in the midst of another thread and then are completely buried.

i am always trying to find a place to put tool threads and they really dont fit anywhere in the current forum sections.

i actually have a small pile of tool threads to start as ive been working on some content for the jrm site that i would love to cross post here.

cheers

jeff

[Jcarlton]

I think a tools forum is a good idea.  If we also use it as a techniques forum where we show how our tools are used it would be very useful.  For that matter I found a couple of good ideas just from this thread.

[cteno4]

perhaps we could combine tool and techniques and just call it tools and tips or or tools and techniques or something like that. many techniques do fit well into many of the other forums (ie like scenery, dcc, automation or electrical techniques, although where do you put construction, milling, fabrication, etc techniques?), but some on how to use specific tools for model rr tasks, like Jcarlton says, would not fit well elsewhere. 

the admins undoubtedly dont want to get too big of a proliferation of sections, but this is one that seems like it will help generate some new posts as well as keep them in a nice grouping for folks to find and use and not get lost in the corners.

cheers,

jeff

[Bernard]

We will be having a "Tools" section. And I think "How to/techniques" will just be part of Tools. I know in the past some members wanted to know "How to Solder" and that would fit in well with Tools.

[cteno4]

We will be having a "Tools" section. And I think "How to/techniques" will just be part of Tools. I know in the past some members wanted to know "How to Solder" and that would fit in well with Tools.

poke poke poke...

no worries, just wondering if this was going to happen.

cheers

jeff

[disturbman]

It is. Be a little more patient. :)

[cteno4]

thanks vincent! will do! if i can wait for SAL shipping i can wait for this!

thanks again!

cheers

jeff

[disturbman]

Done! With a load of other changes and tweaks!

[cteno4]

Vincent,

Thanks soooo very much for all the hard work on this! I have a small pile of great tool stuff to start tossing in there!

your efforts are greatly appreciated keeping all this stuff tidy and evolving as the forum evolves and grows! every good garden needs a gardner!

cheers

jeff

[disturbman]

Thanks. :)

And strangely enough, at the end, you have a french gardner. I'm sometimes amazed to see how many threads are "misposted".