How and Where I Donate Tools

I have been on a journey to reduce inefficiency in my work and storage spaces, and have been posting about my recent surge in progress towards this goal.

A couple of reader have asked questions about how to easily and quickly pass along unneeded tools.

Here’s one of the comments (thank you, Chief!):

Quick question, where did you donate most of your stuff, like the pack outs? I have several extra tools and storage units and I’ve tried to give some away to the next gen of tradesman and local high school and it’s been met with more drama and unfortunately some tools being resold on marketplace. That kind of stuff bothers me more than I care to admit. Just wondering if you found a better way to proceed.

I don’t sell tools or equipment, although I might have to if or when I get rid of any purchased machinery.

Giving away tools can be hard work.

Yes, there can be drama. And also yes, I want to feel good about getting rid of something.

When you donate or pass along tools or equipment, you cannot control what happens to it. If someone says they need something, but then turn around and flip it for a profit on ebay or similar, that doesn’t feel right.

I purchased a test sample for a contributor once, and then later saw they were selling it. It became theirs to do with as they please, but if we ever work together again, I’m not buying them any tools or gear.

I donated to Habitat for Humanity a bunch of times. They can be picky and difficult to connect with, but they could use a lot.

STEM clubs, FIRST robotics teams, and maker spaces, clubs, or groups can use a lot of tools that might not fit in well with construction users such as Habitat.

It pays to know people. I tried to donate tool chests and cabinets – the large and hard to transport kind – to the local fire department, but didn’t hear back. Nearby maker spaces were excited about getting some tools and equipment, but no one could answer questions about when or how.

I talked with Home Depot about how to pass along the tool cabinets, and they put me in touch with a local store manager. The manager came with a truck and took a couple of rolling cabinets and workbench and chest combos, and already had connections lined up with local police and fire departments. They rolled up, we loaded the boxes, and that was it.

I have sent tools to readers before, but it takes a LOT of work to run giveaways or to match what I have with reader’ specific needs and wants.

Here’s what I found that have been quick and easy to arrange for, and I feel good about: i) the local high school, 2) the local DPW (department of public works).

Public schools tend to have low equipment budgets, and there are many hoops to jump through to get approval for any kind of bigger purchasing.

7 years ago, this is what the local high school woodshop and STEM coordinator told me:

We would gladly accept any tools you wish to donate.

At the time I had several storage units with older samples I was holding onto for comparison purposes. ToolGuyd had been around for 10 years by that point.

I gave them so much that they had to get board approval for any more.

A few years later, I had built up a bit too much. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I brought blow molded cases, failed batteries, or similar to the local DPW yard during one of their regular weekend scrap and recycling drop-off days.

Maybe I also had wire shelving from one of the storage spaces I had emptied.

I noticed that they had pulled to the side anything that still had usable life. “Could you use some tools?”

There are enough people working for the DPW that I was sure tools and equipment would get used. One of the supervisors has been my go-to, and he distributes almost anything. He has contacts with woodworkers, the local police and fire departments, and counterparts at other towns.

Sometimes I get requests and I save things for specific uses. I bought a bunch of tools over the holiday season to check out, knowing the fire department was looking for similar. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have made the purchase, even for editorial purposes, as I would have waited longer to get more value out of the purchases, or to find their perfect next users myself.

I got rid of workbenches and the awesome Husky Pro tool cabinet. The DPW pulled up with a trailer.

Tools without batteries? With? Tool boxes? They’ll take anything. And if there’s something they truly cannot use, well, there are scrap metal, plastic, and electronic device recycling dumpsters on-site.

It’s quick, easy, and I feel good about it.

What happened to the tools at the high school? My donations equipped the wood shop, drama class/club, STEM, and the maintenance guys were able to use some of the miter saws.

Now that I am able to pass along almost anything to the DPW, I match up what the high school needs.

One of the benefits is that I get feedback on a consistent basis.

Finding long-term testers is difficult. Without continuous incentives, I rarely hear back. I have found that no-strings-attached and long-term communications has resulted in more informal feedback, which is much more valuable than feedback that feels obligatory or forced.

My brother in-law is a union electrician and isn’t familiar with Packout. I recently passed along a structured tool bag for him to test out. Tools like that are hard to part with because they’re so good.

I passed along my Dewalt tool bag from maybe 20 years ago. It was still in great condition. It’s sat on a shelf for the past 10 years, and various shelves before that. I still remember shopping around between Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Sears, and feeling that I was over-spending but getting good quality. There’s emotional attachment there, but my DPW contact assured me it’ll find a good home.

One of the DPW guys had a second job at a local gas station. One time he asked if I had any mechanics tools I could spare. He also mentioned one of the kids working there was starting to work on cars. I went home and brought over some Husky and duplicate Craftsman tool sets.

Back when Home Depot was more actively partnered with tool-related channels, we had a sponsorship where they sent specific tools for review consideration. After a couple of years, when I started progress towards eliminating how much was being idly stored, I realized I had amassed many copies of the same identical Husky tool kit. I don’t recall the count – I think I had 7 of them.

Every Father’s Day, winter holiday season, and maybe in between, they sent the same Husky tool kit.

I saved one for myself, but after sitting unused for a few years, I donated that one too recently.

A local HVAC installer got my Packout room chest/trunk sample – it’s been working out well for them. I wasn’t really using the Dewalt 8V Gyro screwdriver too often anymore, and passed that to another HVAC tech. A duplicate M12 tripod LED light went to an electrician for attic work.

Sometimes large equipment shows up unexpectedly. A Husky mobile workbench went to an electrician who loved it so much they bought another.

My wife’s uncle works in public transportation. He’s my top choice for any blowers or demanding use flashlights.

For things that don’t really fit anywhere, there’s also Goodwill, rummage sales, and “freecycling” events.

I bought a bunch of IKEA kitchen wall rails and accessories. I’m using one as a wire spool and had plans for the others. They’ve been sitting around. I’ll drop them off at the next freecycling event or rummage sale, whichever comes first.

Churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship have rummage sales. Not a member? Who cares. I called the local church, asked if they could use my new unused gardening supplies or great condition baby toys, and they gladly accepted all of it. We had a fine conversation about organic home gardening methods. I also brought my older speakers and some cookware I had been gifted.

I have some purchased Festool tools – an MFT (multi-function table) and vacuum clamp system that I had purchased. Also my PRUSA 3D printer. And a Lee Valley quick-release front vise that has been sitting in a box since I purchased it 2013.

The woodshop teacher indicated yesterday that he was interested in the PRUSA more for himself to build familiarity. Knowing that, I’m bringing some filament next time. He also indicated interested in the bench vise. That makes me feel better about parting with it.

I bought the vise before we moved, as I was planning to build a woodworking workbench. We moved, I had more space, and I still planned for it. I still plan on building a workbench. It has been 12 YEARS.

I also bought other bench hardware. That’s been 2-1/2 years. I have the wood, hardware for the work surface, casters (2 kinds), and have been waiting for both space and time to design the legs.

A few years ago – and I use “few” loosely – I was building a workbench and cabinet in my office. I needed drawers.

See Also: Brainstorming: How to Make Best Use of a Corner for a Workbench or Tool Cabinet

After not getting around to it for a while, I ordered a set of 30 kitchen drawers. I planned to make the drawer fronts. That was 7 years ago. I have drawers but still no drawer fronts or handles. It has worked, and my only regret is not ordering the drawer front faces to be finished like the sides were by default.

What do I do with the unused drawer pulls I bought for that project?

I bought baltic birch plywood sheets and pre-cut sides with the plan of making shop cabinets. Still haven’t. I asked the high school if they want the wood. If not, I’ll figure out something – maybe I’ll build the cabinets and give those away.

A couple of readers brought up the “sunken cost fallacy” and that definitely leads to some reluctance.

With tools and supplies, I have donation destinations where there will be more benefit and maybe more joy than I have just holding on to them.

No, I didn’t want to give up my inefficiently used Packout organizers. But they will get better use in new hands. That makes me feel better.

What if someone sells a couple? That’s where trust comes in. I trust that most will go into use and will be appreciated. If one of the final recipients decides to sell them, so be it.

I pass things along unconditionally.

I have some cheap plastic models new-in-box that I’m not interested in storing. Some will go to the next freecycle event. I have some (recent years) Transformers figures I enjoyed collecting but don’t enjoy storing. I’ll give my son first pick at what he wants me to put away for him (he opened enough already at the moment), and maybe set some aside for my nephew. The rest will go to Toys for Tots because I don’t want to risk them being picked up at a freecycling event or rummage sale for resale. I don’t like the hassle of selling things, and it’s not worth shipping to family members who do sell on ebay or elsewhere.

The high school woodshop/STEM contact told me another teacher was extremely excited about the VEX robotics system I offered them. I bought 2 starter sets and a bunch of additional components when they went on clearance at Radio Shack around 18 years ago. I used it a few times over the years, but ran into limits where it didn’t perfectly fit my prototyping needs. It’s finally gone to a good home.

If I hadn’t found great contacts at the local high school or a great contact at the DPW, I’d probably still be holding onto too much. Well, I’m still holding onto too much, but I’ve been making great progress.

What really worked for me was finding donation destinations that are i) quick, ii) easy and hassle-free, and iii) free of regret.

And occasionally I go out of my way to equip others where I know there’s specific need, or sometimes I need a specific long-term tester.

For example, a local STEM teacher recently emailed me, and I’ll be offering them a soldering jig that’s a bit too elaborate for cramped benchtop use, and maybe a couple of other third hands-type setups. I didn’t want those thrown away or sold, and I think the right opportunity just lined up.

Sometimes I can wait for the right opportunity or match, a lot of times I cannot or at least should not. The worst option has been to simply say “I’ll wait,” because that leads the pile to grow and grow.

Knowing that I have destinations lined up allows me to purchase far more tools to test out than otherwise, especially over holiday shopping seasons. Regarding power tools, there are a lot of “special buys” where brands ship direct to retailers and don’t hold any warehouse inventory. Meaning, it’s quicker for me to order one myself, otherwise it’s a brand ordering on my behalf from Home Depot, or a request being fulfilled months later.

Having found quick, easy, and trusting donation destinations has been one of the best things for my workshop, and has produced tons of informal field testing feedback.

I generally don’t entertain reader or audience requests, because this leads to a full inbox. Please don’t ask.

That said, I will occasionally part with things I don’t want to. For example, I sent Tom my Triangle Tools ratchet test sample. If not, I’d likely still have it today.

I do owe a reader a Milwaukee Hardline knife test sample, but couldn’t quickly find the email or comment. I am 99% certain it’s earmarked for Koko, and if I can’t find it they’ll get something as good or better, as I’m about ready to start clearing my EDC backlog.