Sharing gear with your partner

[David Thomas]

Someone posted a Q about digital scales and I realized that the most important thing I had to learn the hard way about digital scales was:

I need my own scale(s) in the garage and to not use my wife’s kitchen scale to weigh epoxy, solvents, etc.  She’s a backpacker too and often advocates for more extreme trips than I consider taking the kids on, but I’m definitely the gearhead in the household.

What other items are there that marital harmony dictates NOT sharing?

Hair dryers are great for pre-heating many things in the garage, making paint dry more quickly and drying out gear.  Cloths irons are required to hot-glue hardwood veneer onto plywood edge-grain.  Both items are better sourced for $3 each at Salvation Army than from the Master closet/bathroom, IME.

[Roger Caffin]

It may be unwise to ‘borrow’ any kitchen stuff for the workshop. Well, not without fully discussed permission, anyhow.
Just saying …  :)

Cheers

[DancingBear]

+1 on both David’s and Roger’s suggestions.  I’d also add that the wife’s sacred fabric scissors are definitely off-limits for anything except fabric.

On the flip side, my razor and toothbrush are strictly single-purpose as well.  And I expect my wife to consult with me before breaking down a setup on my milling machine in order to use it.  But I suppose most guys don’t have that problem.

Walt

 

[Roger Caffin]

I suppose most guys don’t have that problem.
Very true – my wife would expect me to do the milling job, whatever it was.
After all, that’s what husbands are for … :)

Cheers
PS: what sort of milling machine?

 

[DancingBear]

Just a little Sieg X3 mini-mill.

My wife mostly leaves the milling to me, but she has been known to fire up the mini-lathe on occasion.  She’s more likely to play with the table saw, though.  :)

Walt

[Matthew / BPL]

there might be a causal connection between some titanium windscreens I made and my wife’s frustration cutting wrapping paper during this holiday season.

[Roger Caffin]

Well, get a nice fine stone and sharpen the darn things! You might suddenly be very popular again.

Cheers

[David Noll]

Mathew, you are either very brave or very foolish.

[Diane Pinkers]

Do NOT remove my measuring spoons/cups from the kitchen, or use them for non-food materials.  If you *really* need it that badly, that’s what the separate measuring spoons/cups for dyeing chemicals are for.  Nope, not kosher, just good practice, keeping food and chemicals separate.  Really dedicated home dyers may have a separate microwave oven or slow cooker for the express purpose of yarn or fabric.

Touch my rotary fabric cutters or embroidery scissors and you die.

[Matthew / BPL]

Roger, That’s a good idea. I’m going to hold off because I have a late xmas gift arriving soon and I think it is a Lansky sharpening setup.

David, Let’s go with foolish.

To be fair, they are $8 scissors from Staples, not super-high quality fabric shears.

[Roger Caffin]

I wonder how many brownie points you could score buy nicking out and buying your wife a ‘good’ pair of kitchen scissors? Hum ???

Cheers

 

[Paul Wagner]

We cooperate on food–both the buying and the planning a bit.  So she’ll make suggestions or provide items there–but I pack the bear can.    Our dehydrator gets used by both of us…But we have gear for hiking, and she has kitchen stuff.  She’s a professional chef, so her kitchen stuff stays in the kitchen.  If we need something for the trail, we buy it rather than borrow it.

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